Chesco D.A.: Death penalty sought in shotgun slaying

WEST CHESTER — The Chester County District Attorney’s Office announced Wednesday it will seek the death penalty for an East Fallowfield man accused of murdering the mother of his daughter.

Gregory Twyman, 44, is accused of gunning down his longtime girlfriend, 37-year-old Jamica Woods, inside their home on May 21. Woods was shot twice with a single-shot 12-gauge shotgun, according to investigators.

Twyman is set to appear in court for a formal arraignment Thursday, at which point prosecutors will formally enter the death penalty notice. Officials said Twyman has a significant history of felony convictions involving the use or threat of violence against Woods, and named that fact as the aggravating factor in the death penalty notice.

“Jamica Woods was a kind and loving mother,” said Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan. “This crime was a cold blooded execution. We will seek justice for Jamica’s death.”

In the notice, prosecutors stated that they intend to present victim impact testimony from Woods’ friends and family during the sentencing phase of Twyman’s trial. Previous court documents show that Woods was the victim of continuous abuse and was afraid that Twyman would take her life.

In December, five months before her murder, Woods filed for an emergency Protection from Abuse order against Twyman at district court. In a handwritten affidavit, Woods described the constant threats and physical abuse that had her living in fear. She also described a warning she issued to Twyman the day she filed for the court order: leave or deal with the police.

“I said if he came to the house I had a PFA and he would go to jail,” Woods wrote. “He said ‘If I go to jail, wait to see where you go.’ I believe he would cause physical harm or even kill me.”

Woods wrote that Twyman, the father of her 18-year-old daughter, would not allow her to leave him. She wrote that she had tried, but she was afraid of what he might do if she did.

“He has threatened me also by saying if I’m not with him I won’t be with anyone else,” Woods wrote. “I have been trying to get away from him for a long time, but he threatens me. I’m scared that when I go home tonight he is going to be there waiting or that he will show up in the middle of the night.”

Testimony at Twyman’s preliminary hearing on May 31 revealed that Woods had again told Twyman to leave on the day of her murder. According to testimony from investigators, hours after Woods death Twyman told detectives that Woods had ordered him out of the house, threatening to call police if he did not leave.

The day before the murder, Twyman changed his Facebook profile picture to a photograph of a shotgun shell. He also changed the background picture to show a shotgun similar to one used in Woods’ murder. Officials confirmed the shotgun shell was of the same type used against Woods.